Thursday, March 22, 2007

Andaman Restaurant & Catering

By AnakBrunei












Last night, da missus and I decided to immerse ourselves into the Andaman experience after reading all the good things that have been said here, here and here.

The restaurant is indeed very cosy with less than ten tables inside and a few more outside for those preferring to dine with marlboro man. We didnt have marlboro man with us, so we chose to dine inside.

The menu was a clean and simple affair, with probably 5 to 10 items per category. Good for the indecisive among us. We ordered the Rojak Ayam, Andaman Lamb Stew, Butter Chicken, and Sayur Pakis masak belacan.

The rojak reminded me of the one they used to serve at the triple-K roadhouse. Crispy fried chicken pieces served on a bed of fresh crisp lettuce and topped with a nice tangy sauce. Tastewise it was good, but I think some crushed peanuts would have given it an extra oomph.

The lamb stew came highly recommended and it was lovely cos I'm a sucker for lamb! I think however, that if they used bigger chunks of proper stewing lamb it would have been even better heheh... and I wouldnt have minded paying slightly more for that.

The butter chicken was delightful and I really enjoyed the rustic flavours of the herbs and spices infused into the tomato and butter sauce. This is one dish I'd order again.

But the highlight of the night had to be the sayur pakis. Very, very nice and da missus agreed! Just the right flavour, i.e. not too belacany (heheh) and just nicely cooked, not overdone. This dish definitely makes our local vegetables look good!

All the above food enjoyed in a nice cosy environment with pretty good service (I think the waiters need to speak up and be a tad more bubbly, i.e. not to be confused with campy!) for just under 20 bucks? I say good value for money! Perhaps one suggestion guys... stock up on Coke Light please? (",)

Check out my other reviews:

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Saffron Restaurant

By AnakBrunei

Last night, da missus and I dined at Saffron, a well-known upmarket eatery with a pan-asian menu ranging from the mughal inspired kurmas and koftas to the nachos with an asian twist to the middle-eastern grilled meats served with pita and refreshing salad. The specialty however, is the desserts, among them, pavlova, cheese cakes, chocolate cakes and a chocolate torte to die for!

The owners, A and F were kind enough to dine with us and with four of us dining, we embarked upon our gastronomic journey...









For mezzos, we had hummus, followed by the nachos which were served with cheese and a lightly spiced sauce. We also tried the kibbeh, lamb balls served with garlic sauce. Finally, we had the rice crisps with a special sauce which you eat with a basil leaf on top... simply delicious.

Click here for the rest of the review.

Check out my other reviews:

Friday, March 16, 2007

Featured Blog of the Week!

As highlighted on Simpur's Blogging Nation.

Ever wondered which restaurants are really worth going to? Which ones serve the best dishes you crave for? Look no further than the Brunei Restaurant Review, your definitive guide to eating out in Brunei. A team of 5 local bloggers contribute to this well written blog which reviews restaurants old and new all over Brunei. They all give their honest opinion on the dishes served at local eateries which range from fine dining, Japanese, Italian and even ‘gerai’ stalls. The tasty pictures will surely make your mouths water!



Thanks Simpur Webmasters for those kind words. More power to you guys!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Another First!

Check out our new venture....

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Andaman = Andang Nyaman?

A few weeks back, Blackdiamonds made a review on Andaman Restaurant & Catering. She rated the place to be an A+ establishment and MSG free too. Just earlier this evening, I was at the official launching of the restaurant. It was quite a grand opening, rarely seen for a restaurant. This is how it went...

By the time I got there, the place was already busy as the guest starts arriving. Some huge tents were erected outside the restaurant to seat the invited guest, approximately about 250 people were expected. The atmosphere was very lively with the sounds of Gulingtangan performed by UBD students.

I can see Bruneian already busy snapping away and also Mr.BR seated close to the stage. The event started at 07:45pm, 30mins earlier than planned, which is very rare indeed especially for big functions.

Shortly after the arrival of the guest of honour, Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Seri Dewa Mejar General (Rld) Dato Seri Pahlawan Awg Hj Mohammad Bin Hj Daud, Minister of Culture Youth and Sports, the recital of Surah Al-Fatihah and Doa Selamat was led by Imam Hj Ali Yusof bin Hj Arsad.

After the recital, the Chairman of Koperasi Belia Kita Berhad (KBK), Awg Rahimi Bin Perdi made his welcoming speech. In his speech he highlighted the KBK objectives, which was to ;
  • To provide employment opportunities for the youth.
  • To nurture the youth to be entrepreneurs.
  • To instil the sense of ownership among the youth and shareholders.
  • To establish a reputable corporate governance internally and other supporting agency.
Andaman Restaurant & Catering is just one of the many ventures that KBK has planned, other services such as Wedding Planning, Facilities Management & Housekeeping, and Event Management are just some of them. More info about KBK activities can be found on their website here.

The guest of honour was then escorted on stage by the KBK Chairman to deliver a speech and then officiate the launching of the restaurant by lighting a mock-up of a "flaming" wok. And with that, its makan time!

On the menu was;
APPETIZER
Prawn & Papaya Salad

MAIN COURSE
Rendang Betawi
Andaman Lamb Stew (Highly Recommended!)
Chicken Percik
Fiery Fish (Love this!)
Broccoli & Mushroom with Oyster Sauce
Steamed Rice
Nasi Hujan Panas

REFRESHMENT
Fruitpunch
Coffee & Tea

DESSERT
Mixed Fruits & Malay Kueh


While the guest were enjoying the delicious food, various entertaiment were presented. There was a cultural dance performance by the Youth of Brunei, Theatre performance by UBD students, Acoustic Guitar & Bass performance, Magic Tricks, Songs by Ak Hj Mohd Khairul Amilin and finally a Poem recital.

The event ended just before 10pm and I must say it was a successful one. It was entertaining and ofcourse the food was again A+. Congratulations to the KBK committee for organising such a wonderful event and the launching of Andaman Restaurant & Catering. I wish you all the best for the future.


For enquiries & reservations call 2653355.

Wednesday, March 7, 2007

Capers Italian Pasta Restaurant

We went to Capers for lunch today. They still had their 'Eat all you can' promo which is at $6 per child and $12.80 per adult. Hazel & Mark both had their usual Fettucine Carbonara, and they shared a small pizza between the two of them.


After a very very long debate with myself, I decided to have their set lunch at $6.50 per head and I chose Penne with Beef Bacon, served with Caesar Salad and a soft drink. I asked for sparkling apple juice which Hazel wanted.


I must say I didn't like my pasta much as I thought the sauce was too sweet, but this is purely a personal preference as I do not like sweet sauces on savoury dishes. The Caesar Salad was good - the mixed lettuce was crispy and cold (and Cos would have been better) and it came with the very important ingredients of a good Caesar Salad; anchovies, croutons, chopped beef bacon and shaved parmesan. Dressing was a very simple lemon juice and olive oil combination (add some mashed garlic, dijon mustard, salt and black pepper and the dressing would be magic). I would have liked it if they had served the salad on a separate plate which I promptly did as soon as the plate was served.

I think Capers serves pretty good food (their Carbonara was lovely) and their staff are always very polite and pleasant. Ambience is terrific with their tall glass windows which you can look out of, at the busy Kiulap junction. Their prices are insanely cheap too without too much sacrifice on quality & portion control. It's one of the children's favourite places to eat at and I like it too, for the location and ambience.



Capers Italian Pasta Restaurant is located on 2nd floor, Seri Kiulap Complex, Kiulap. For reservations, call 2234000.

Original post by Foodie Tales.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Alhamdulillah

Read all about it at the fashion blog, Have Shoes, Will Mingle.